Australia rained on New Zealand's parade to strike a huge psychological blow ahead of next Saturday's Four Nations final.

The first rugby league match played at Auckland's rugby union citadel of Eden Park since the 1988 World Cup final attracted a record crowd of 44,432, but the Kangaroos responded emphatically to suggestions that they are no longer the dominant international power with a convincing six-try win.

It was even more impressive as Australia's coach, Tim Sheens, had rested several key players including the captain, Darren Lockyer, and full-back Billy Slater to ensure their fitness for the final in Brisbane, where the Kangaroos are determined to exact revenge for the shock defeat they suffered against New Zealand in the 2008 World Cup final.

In contrast the Kiwis coach, Stephen Kearney, had to field a full-strength team given the importance of the occasion to the New Zealand game, but his players failed to handle the pressure. They fell 18-2 behind in a disastrous opening. First Cooper Cronk fended off New Zealand's star half-back Benji Marshall, then a pair of defensive errors by Sam Perrett, a Sydney Roosters wing who was filling in for the injured Manu Vatuvei, allowed Brent Tate to score one try and set up another for his wing Brett Morris.

The Kiwis hinted at a fightback in the remainder of the first half, with Frank Pritchard surging over for a try that Marshall converted before surprisingly opting to take two points from a penalty to reduce the deficit to 10-18.

But Australia silenced the crowd with a burst of three tries early in the second half. Morris was the key figure, releasing a brilliant inside pass to send Darius Boyd over before galloping down the touchline for his own second, with Chris Lawrence also touching down from Robbie Farah's delicate kick.

New Zealand claimed a couple of consolation tries, both set up by the brilliance of Marshall whose audacious flicked passes created space for Jason Nightingale and Shaun Kenny-Dowall. But it was far too late to make much of a difference.